Turmeric is a medicinal plant of the genus Curcuma belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, which is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions around the world and mainly in Southeast Asia. Many closely related species of turmeric plants are known. Examples of turmeric plants that are known as ingredients of health food in Japan include autumn turmeric (Aki ukon), spring turmeric (Haru ukon), Curcuma Domestica Val. (Kusuri ukon), and purple turmeric (Murasaki ukon) (Non-Patent Document 1). The academic name for autumn turmeric is Curcuma longa. The academic name for purple turmeric is Curcuma zedoaria, and it is referred to as “zedoary.” In the present invention, autumn turmeric is referred to as “turmeric,” and purple turmeric is referred to as “zedoary.”
A turmeric rhizome comprises 3% to 5% curcumin (a yellow pigment). A variety of useful properties of turmeric extracts and curcumin are known. For example, Non-Patent Document 2 suggests that a turmeric extract-containing beverage allows an adequate level of “drunkness” originating from alcohol and simultaneously prevents a bad hangover when it is ingested together with an alcohol beverage.
However, it was not known in the past that a liquid composition comprising a turmeric extract has effects of alleviating specific symptoms such as heartburn or dull headache among so-called hangover symptoms that a person experiences when he/she wakes up after alcoholic beverage consumption, and Non-Patent Document 2 does not suggest such effects. In addition, it is not known that such specific symptoms can be alleviated with the use of other compositions.
Patent Document 1 describes a health food product in a dry powder form comprising a dense mixture of crude drug powder (i.e., turmeric powder or zedoary powder) and an agent comprising protease. The technique of Patent Document 1 enables significant improvement in difficulties of handling and ingesting crude drug powders. Patent Document 1 does not suggest the effects of a combination of turmeric powder and zedoary powder. Patent Document 1 does not refer to turmeric or zedoary extracts.
Patent Document 2 describes a method of reducing the odor and bitterness of turmeric rhizomes that is carried out as pretreatment for preparing sliced or powdered turmeric rhizomes. According to Patent Document 2, sliced turmeric rhizomes are soaked in an aqueous solution of γ-aminobutyric acid or the like, and the sliced turmeric rhizomes are then grounded to process turmeric rhizomes. It describes that three types of turmeric species; i.e., spring turmeric, autumun turmeric, and zedoary, can be used for turmeric rhizomes. Patent Document 2 does not suggest the effects of a combination of turmeric powder and zedoary powder. Patent Document 2 does not refer to turmeric or zedoary extracts.
Patent Document 3 describes a vegetable oil containing an oil-soluble turmeric component eluted from turmeric rhizomes. It describes that one or more turmeric species selected from among autumun turmeric, zedoary, and the like can be used. According to the examples of Patent Document 3, grounded autumun turmeric or zedoary is soaked in olive oil to elute an oil-soluble component, as the result of which a turmeric-containing vegetable oil of interest is produced. A small quantity of the turmeric-containing vegetable oil of Patent Document 3 is used for cooking, as with the case of a usual edible oil. It is not considered that a large quantity of turmeric-containing vegetable oil of Patent Document 3 is ingested at one time.
Patent Document 4 describes a composition comprising glutathione and turmeric. Patent Document 4 describes that use of glutathione in combination with turmeric enables provision of a composition that can be applied to a food, pharmaceutical, pet food, or feed product having functions of inhibiting liver damage.